Unauthorized Immigration

Abstract

Although immigration covers a wide sociopolitical spectrum, this chapter’s focus will be on the unauthorized (“illegal”) and how state violence unfolds for them. This state violence is generally focused on Brown people, and increasingly children—there are approximately 23,000 unaccompanied children. It is sad witnessing the full-scale assault on this group (those seeking asylum or entering with a desire to return) who originate in countries not held in high esteem by the state. There are many such countries, stretching across many continents and hemispheres, but the emphasis is on Central America. This chapter examines how state-sanctioned violence targets the unauthorized and undermines their communities across the country.